alexander



(No Modem U.D.ALEXA NDER. v

WIRE BENDING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 8, 1895.-

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Att'y.

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UNIT D STATES P TENT OFFICE.

URBANA n. ALEXANDER, or CANNONSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AssieNoE -TO THE GANONSBURG IRON AND sTEEL coMPANY, SAME PL oE.

WlRE-BENDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,410, dated January 8, 1895. Application filed September 17, 1894- Serial No. 523,240. (No model.)

To all whmn it Wmy concern:

Be it'known that I, URBANA D. ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cannonsburg, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Bending Machines, of which improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates genorally .to certain improvements in machines for bending wires, but more especially tosuch wires as are to be incorporated in the rims of sheet metal vessels, and consists, in general terms, in the construction and combination substantially as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Inthe accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved bending machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, the plane of section being indicated by the line a::2c, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a sectional view on the same plane, of a portion of the machine on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale, of the bending or pressing device. I

The power shaft 1 is mounted in a suitable frame 2, and on one end of the shaft projecting beyond the frame is keyed the square former 3, which may, however, be of any other suitable shape. A sliding plate 4 is arranged against the front face of the frame, being provided with a long slot 5, through which the end of the shaft 1 projects, serving as a guide for the plate. The plate is also guided by a pin 6, projecting through a slot 7 in the front face of the frame and through a hole of approximately the same size as the pin in the sliding plate. On this pin is loosely pivoted the carrier 8, provided with ears 9, on which are loosely mounted the grooved rollers 10 and 11. These rollers are held in contact with the edges of the former by a weight 12 attached to the lower end of the sliding plate 4.

In bending wire one end thereof is pushed under one of the grooved rollers, where it is pressed firmly against the former, which is then rotated, in the direction indicated by the arrow. As the former rotates the carrier will be slightly raised and tipped, the roller 11 being the higher, until the corner a. passes under it, when the weight on the sliding plate will cause it to drop down against the side a of the former bending the wire around the corner a, While the roller 10 holds the end against the side I) of the former. Each coil as it is formed presses the preceding coil along the former until the coil first formed is brought into line with the cutting mechanism.

The cutting mechanism consists of a blade 13 secured in a groove or recess 14 in one of the operative faces of the former, and of a movable blade 15, which is secured on the projecting end of a pin- 16, loosely mounted 6 in the frame 1. The blade 15 is normally held against the stop 17 by a spring 1 8, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, but is brought into operative relation with the blade 13 by a finger 19 attached to the former. This finger is so constructed and attached to the former that as the latter revolves, the finger will strike the swinging blade while resting against its stop, and swing it into vertical position just as theforward end of the blade 13 reaches the same position, so that the cutting edge of the blade 15 will slide along the end of the blade 13, severing the wire. As'the former continues to rot-ate the finger l8 slides off the blade 15, permitting its spring to swing it back against the stop 17.

In describing the operation of the mechanism, the several parts being in the position shown in Fig. 1, the end of the wire is passed under the rollers 11 and 10. The former is then rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow a, thereby, when the former is angular in cross-section, raising the roller 11, until the corner of the former passes from under it, when the roller will be pulled down by the weight, thereby bending the wire around the corner, and pressing itagainst the next adjacent side thereof, while it is also held against the preceding side of the former'bythe roller 10. This roller 10, will be gradually raised as 5 the former rotates by the corner thereof, while the roller 11 is held against the adjacent side by the weight. As the former rotates the finger 19 will slip from behind the blade 15, allowing it to be swung back against the stop too 2, Obidfklu 17 by the spring 18. As the former brings the finger around, it will shift the blade to and beyond a vertical position. The blade 15 is made of such alength and is pivoted in such relation to the former, that when being brought to a vertical position, its free end will slide past and in contact with the end of the blade 13 carried by the former, thereby severing the wire.

It is characteristic of my improved construction that the rollers 10 and 11 are capable of independent movement toward and from the axis of rotation of the former, thereby adapting them for operation upon two sides of a former meeting at an angle.

. It will be observed. that the rollers 10 and 11 press the wire around the former with a wiping motion, and the rear roller 10 completes the preliminary bending effected by the roller 11, both rollers being at all times held with equal or approximately'equal pressure against the former.

I claim herein as my invention 1. In a wire bending machine, the combination of a rotating former and two rollers yieldingly held against the former and operative in sequence, the'rollers being capable of independent movement toward and from the axis of rotation of the former substantially as set forth.

'2. In a wire bending machine, the combination of a rotating former, two rollers yieldingly held against the former and operative in sequence, and a cutting mechanism operated by the former, substantially as set forth.

3. In a wire bending machine, the combination of a rotating former, a slide plate, a carrier loosely mounted on saidplate, two rollers mounted. on the carrier, and means operative through the slide plate for holding the rollers yieldingly against the former, substantially as set forth.

4. In a wire bending, machine, the combination of a rotating former provided with a cutting blade, means for pressing wire against the former, a swinging cutting blade, and a finger on the former for bringing the swinging blade into operative relation with the blade on the former, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set u my hand.

URBANA D. ALEXANDER. 

